XXVIII AICLU Seminar

Redefining/Revitalizing Language Education through Intercultural Communication: from Technical/Digital Skills to Ethical Concerns in a data-driven Society

organized by the University of Trieste Language Center
in collaboration with the Italian Association of University Language Centers (AICLU)

Trieste, November 14-15, 2024

See the call for papers for language lecturers/teachers

See the call for papers for University Language Center staff
Call for papers for language lecturers/teachers

“Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied.”

(Noam Chomsky)

Welcome to “Redefining/Revitalizing Language Education through Intercultural Communication: from Technical/Digital Skills to Ethical Concerns in a data-driven Society.”

In this digital world, language educators and learners alike are grappling with the unstoppable creation of all sorts of digital technologies in a variety of forms. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is among us and here to stay, generating both excitement and concern. While innovative and diverse teaching methods and learning approaches are being explored, the issue of digital competence remains a crucial issue across the board. As global citizens, the sustainable and ethical use of these tools calls for our attention.

In an effort to keep up with the development of the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Language Center of the University of Trieste invites language educators, scholars, and practitioners to discuss language teaching and learning in this new digital and intercultural era. The seminar is aimed at enhancing collaboration and networking across institutions. It also hopes to provide an opportunity to share language learning practices, promote discussion, and engage in further research.

We welcome papers on foreign language education in correlation with, but not limited to, any of the following:

  • Online language learning tools
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) and language learning
  • Critical thinking skills
  • The digital divide
  • Soft skills
  • Inclusion
  • Multiculturalism
  • Intercultural communication
  • UN Sustainable Development Goals

This call invites proposals in Italian, English, French, Spanish, or German, in one of the following two formats:

  • Traditional paper presentations
  • Pecha Kucha


Please specify choice of format in proposal.

Speakers will have 20 minutes to present their papers, followed by 10 minutes of discussion. Pecha Kucha format presentations should include 20 slides projected for 20 seconds each in max. 6 minutes and 40 seconds, followed by 10 minutes of discussion.

Proposals of max. 300 words are welcome from May 13th to July 31st. Notification of acceptance will be sent from September 1st.

Call for papers for University Language Center staff

The XXVIII AICLU Seminar, hosted by the Language Center of the University of Trieste on November 14th and 15th, will include a session dedicated to the contributions of administrative and technical staff within University Language Centers. The session aims to foster the exchange of best practices, with special focus on the activities undertaken by University Language Centers, which, due to their unique nature, often diverge from standard university procedures.

This session builds on the work begun at the XXVII AICLU Seminar, held at the University of Padua in 2023, and will continue during the AICLU Conference at the University of Pavia in June 2024.

Both administrative and technical staff are invited to submit their proposals on the theme of the XXVIII AICLU Seminar, “Redefining /Revitalizing Language Education through Intercultural Communication: from Technical/Digital Skills to Ethical Concerns in a data-driven Society” in relation to any of the following:

  • Online language learning tools: managing online and blended learning platforms and data-driven management systems
  • AI and Language learning: collaborating with CELs (language teachers) to foster innovations in language pedagogy
  • Management of course admission criteria and test results
  • Facilitation of payment and administrative procedures with university administration offices and third parties
  • Inclusion and intercultural communication: overseeing certificates, statements, external certifications, and badges.

Each presentation should be 10-15 minutes in length, followed by 10-15 minutes for questions and discussion, and in Italian. Proposals are to be submitted via the seminar website by July 31, 2024. Notification of acceptance will be sent from September 1, 2024.

Program and Registration



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Registration

Registration and payment of the registration fee will be open from September 24th to October 30th. The registration fee is 80 Euros. The fee includes participation in the activities organized within the seminar and coffee breaks. It does not include the social dinner, which will be held on November 14th at 8:30pm at the Antico Caffè San Marco, at Via Battisti 18. Please note that the 50 Euros for the dinner is payable directly to the restaurant.
To register for the seminar and pay the registration fee, please visit this page. Upon completing payment, please specify the reason for payment as follows: IUSLIT AICLU 2024 + full name

Trieste

The Venue

The conference activities will take place in Trieste, at the Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Studies, located at Via Fabio Filzi 14, Trieste, Italy.

The venue is centrally located, very close to the train station and the bus station (six minutes' walking distance).
If you are arriving by car, parking in the city center is limited. You may try one of the paid parking options:

How to reach Trieste

Trieste can be reached by car, train, bus, and plane.

  • The nearest airport is Ronchi dei Legionari Airport, accessible via the Trieste Airport railway station and served by APT bus line G51;
  • There are also connections with Marco Polo Airport in Venice and Canova Airport in Treviso, passing through Mestre station.

Where to stay

The city center of Trieste offers a variety of hotels, apartments and bed & breakfasts to choose from. We recommend booking in advance.

Albergo alla Posta*** - Piazza Guglielmo Oberdan 1 - info@albergopostatrieste.it
Hotel Colombia*** - Via della Geppa, 18 - colombia@hotelcolombia.it
Hotel Milano*** - Via Carlo Ghega, 17 - info@hotel-milano.com
Hotel Roma*** - Via Carlo Ghega, 7 - info@hotelroma-trieste.it
Novo Hotel Impero*** - Via Sant'Anastasio, 1 - impero@fenicehotels.it
9 Stanze Boutique Rooms*** - Via della Cassa di Risparmio, 1 - info@9stanze.com
Hotel NH Trieste**** - Corso Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 7 - nhtrieste@nh-hotels.com
Forvm Boutique Hotel**** - Via Valdirivo, 30 - info@forvmboutiquehotel.it
Hotel Continentale**** - Via San Nicolò, 25 - info@continentalehotel.com
The Modernist Hotel**** - Corso Italia, 12 - info@themodernisthotel.it

Things to do

Trieste and its surroundings are rich in history and culture.

In addition to the city center with its waterfront, churches of various denominations, Molo Audace, and Piazza Unità d'Italia, you can visit:

  • the castle and cathedral of San Giusto
  • the Miramare Castle
  • the Revoltella Museum of Modern Art
  • the Risiera di San Sabba
  • the Synagogue
  • the Grotta Gigante.

Scientific committee

  • José Francisco Medina Montero,
  • Stefano Ondelli,
  • Ilaria Micheli,
  • Katia Peruzzo,
  • Isabelle Stabarin,
  • Anne-Kathrin Gaertig-Bressan,
  • Joanne Baldoni,
  • Carmen Argondizzo,
  • Enrica Rossi,
  • Cesare Zanca

Organizing committee

  • José Francisco Medina Montero,
  • Simonetta Pasqualis Dell’Antonio,
  • Richard Friedrich Eugen Orthofer,
  • Joanne Baldoni,
  • Altea Ariano,
  • Katrina Ann Read,
  • Daniel Arribas,
  • Dominique Costantini,
  • Irene Rogina,
  • Silke Krauss,
  • Cecilia del Carmen Valenzuela,
  • Anna Maria Csaki,
  • Sieglinde Kofler,
  • Aurélie Trujillo Trujillo,
  • Karen Percival,
  • Wang Fusheng